Last season Niwot's Harrison Lang was on a quest for the top Class 4A boys tennis spot.

This year, he's standing on it.

Lang won the state title at No. 1 singles as a sophomore in 2010. In 2011, he's looking to repeat as a junior.

"I want to be able to defend it," Lang said. "I just want to work on my game, keep working on being aggressive; that's my main thing, and hopefully that'll lead me to another state title."

He's plenty capable, but Lang isn't expecting an easy road to a second straight championship.

"I think people that are playing me will want it a little more because they know that I had it last year," Lang said. "They'll be hungrier, so I'll have to step up my game as well."

Michael Ogez participates in tennis practice at Niwot High School on Tuesday. Ogez won the Class 4A state title at No. 2 singles in 2010.
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Richard M. Hackett/Times-Call
)

Lang will have to face a slew of new opponents at state this year. Last year's semifinals and finals opponents -- Keegan Burger (Steamboat Springs) and Connor Hudson (Mullen) -- graduated.

This may be Lang's season to shine, but it could also be the Cougars' best shot at a team title.

Niwot finished second in 2010, 22 points behind Cheyenne Mountain, despite recording the first two individual singles titles in school history: Lang and Michael Ogez at No. 2 singles.

Both Lang and Ogez, a senior, are back. They'll be joined by Lang's younger brother Spencer, a freshman who is ahead of where Harrison was at that age and will compete for one of the singles spots.

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"Our singles have to be the best in the state, one through three ," Lang said. "This is probably our best chance because next year Michael's gonna be gone and there probably won't be somebody as good coming in. This is our year to do it."

For the Cougars to win a team title, their doubles pair will have to score at state.

"Last year was a depth thing," Lang said. "Our doubles didn't do as well as we'd hoped. This year that's what we're going to work on: getting our doubles to do a little bit better."

If depth was a problem last year, it's not anymore. The Cougars are returning six state qualifiers at the doubles positions.

"We definitely have a lot of talent," Cougars head coach Miikka Keronen said. "If everybody plays well and nobody gets hurt, we can do well. I think if you ask these kids what their goal is, their goal is to win state. My goal is to help them to do that."

Returning as No. 2 singles champion, Ogez also is optimistic about the team's potential. Everyone arriving early to Monday's first day of practice showed him they've got the right attitude early on.

"My goal is still to do the best I can and try to win it again," Ogez said. "Everyone wants to win."

The Niwot girls won a team title in 2008 and have been a perennial state power since. Over the past few years, the boys team has been building some momentum of its own.

Keronen said finishing top four is very realistic for Lang and Ogez, but to repeat will require some good fortune. And it will take a team effort to wrestle the team title away from Cheyenne Mountain.